BIOPICCC is a 3-year research project (November 2009 - October 2012) funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as part of a major research network on Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate. The project will develop strategies to help ensure that the infrastructures and systems supporting the health and social care for older people (aged 65 and over) will be sufficiently resilient to withstand harmful impacts of climate change in the future, up to 2050.

The research will be conducted by a multidisciplinary team in two institutions based at Durham University and Heriot-Watt University with expertise in engineering, hazard modelling, social and geographical science and health and health care research.

Banner image: Cockermouth Floods. Source: Environment Agency, 2009.

Adapting to Climate Change in Health and Social Care: Mapping Future Hazards, Vulnerabilities and Risks

Tools to Support Local Level Resilience Planning and Improve Outcomes for Older People

In association with the Adaptation and Resilience to a Changing Climate Coordination Network (ARCC-CN)

Update: Report from workshop now available below.

9th May 2012, Durham University

Following the launch of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (UK CCRA), this workshop brought together local authorities (including public health, social care and resilience fora) and representatives from the health, climate change and environment sectors to explore how outputs from the Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate (ARCC) Programme can feed into, and inform, the National Climate Change Adaptation Programme, local level resilience planning, Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the new integrated health and wellbeing strategies.

Drawing on experience from the BIOPICCC and Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) projects, the event demonstrated new ways to identify, model and map:

• Weather-related hazards including heatwaves and floods using the latest climate change projections
• Vulnerable groups of older people using demographic projections
• Key infrastructures supporting the delivery of health and social care services including hospitals and GP surgeries and utility networks

An electronic copy of the report, programme, panellist biographies and presentations are now available to download below:

• Report: Adapting to Climate Change in Health and Social Care
• Programme and panellist biographies
• Introduction - Professor Sarah Curtis
• Extreme weather events and the challenges for health protection: key findings from IPCC SREX
  (Professor Virginia Murray, Health Protection Agency)
• UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and Adaptation Programme
  (Meg Patel, Defra)
• National scale hazard and vulnerability mapping: How to interpret the national picture in a way that is meaningful locally
  (Dr Sim Reaney and Dr Katie Oven, Durham University, BIOPICCC Project)
• Mapping future hazards for South East London
  (Dr Stephen Blenkinsop, Newcastle University, CREW Project)
• Modelling infrastructure systems at the local level
  (Dr Richard Holden, Heriot-Watt University, BIOPICCC Project)
• Integrating local hazard and infrastructure models
  (Sarah Nodwell, Heriot-Watt University, BIOPICCC Project)
• Locating health care buildings and services: the NHS Strategic Health Asset Planning and Evaluation application (SHAPE)
  (Barbara Coyle, North East Public Health Observatory)
• Putting health and social care users at the centre
  (Dr Jonathan Wistow and Professor Lena Dominelli, Durham University, BIOPICCC Project)
• Sustainable health and social care: opportunities and risks for climate change adaptation in the emerging health and social care landscape
  (Catherine Max, Catherine Max Consulting)